This invention relates to 3-D printers and more particularly to automated part removal in a 3-D printer.
3D printing, a form of additive manufacturing, is a laborious manufacturing process in its existing state. A generic prior art printer 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a printing surface 12 and a movable carriage 14 that carries a printing device 16. The prior art system shown in FIG. 1 typically includes a tethered computer 18.
As shown in FIG. 2 prior art printers typically require six or more user steps as shown in the figure. First, a user designs a 3-D model on CAD software. The user manually then uploads a 3-D model of the part to be made to a slicing program. After the user manually calibrates 150-250 settings, the slicing program generates machine code for the 3-D printer 10. The fourth step of a process is to upload the machine code to a printing host in the form of a program on a computer or an SD card. From there, the machine code is streamed to a microprocessor on the printer 10, controlling actuation. After the printer is done printing, the part is removed manually. After inspecting the quality of the part, the user decides if the part needs to be reprinted.
A fully automated 3-D printer system requires automated part removal so as to eliminate the need for a local operator to remove a part in order to start a next job. Current automated part removal systems exist in three forms: conveyor belts, extruder head attachments, and heating/cooling the printing bed. In general the disadvantages of these systems are detrimental to the printing process and/or the removal process. Conveyor belt systems have not been successful generally because the platform is flexible, leading to warped parts. A conveyor belt with rigid tracks might provide a rather expensive solution. It is also known to attach a removal paddle or block to an extruder head. Such arrangements typically cause excessive stress on the drive train and may cause misalignment in the print nozzle leading to leveling issues. Finally, it is known to use heating/cooling to release a part from the printing surface. In such systems, the printing surface is hot during printing. Upon completion of printing the part, the plate is allowed to cool passively. Shrinkage causes the part to “pop.”